Degenerative and traumatic damage to the articular cartilage of the knee joint can result in pain and restricted motion. Prosthetic joint replacement is frequently utilized to alleviate the pain and restore joint function. In this procedure, the damaged compartments of the joint are cut away and replaced with prosthetic components. Typically a “C”-shaped femoral component is mated with the cut end of the femur and a tibial component is mated with the cut end of the tibia.
The use of modular components, especially modular tibial components, has become popular because it allows the surgeon to assemble components in a variety of configurations at the time of surgery to meet specific patient needs relative to size and geometry. For example, modular tibial components may include separate tray and bearing components that can be assembled in a variety of configurations of bone coverage area, bearing thickness, kinematic constraint, and bone attachment mechanism. For example, the tray may be provided in a variety of styles including cemented, bone ingrowth, flat, finned, and stemmed.
During a knee joint replacement surgical operation, it is necessary to manipulate the implant components into position within the joint and/or hold them in position while subsequent operations are carried out such as joining fasteners. Manipulating these components can be difficult due to small gripping areas on the components, the depth and/or narrowness of the surgical wound, and/or the need to impart relatively large gripping and/or positioning forces. In particular, minimally invasive surgical procedures require manipulating components through small incisions.